Convertible vehicle body



Apr. 10, 1923. 11,4511,@116

W. C. FOWLER CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE BODY Filed May 24, 1922 Patented Apr. 10, 1923. j if Lldlfilfi STA'E'EE QFWQJEQ WILLIAM C. FOVJLEB, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE BODY.

Application filed May 24, 1922. Serial No. 563,391.

ToaZZw/zom it may concern: is adapted to fold down to form with the Be it known that I, lVILLL-iiu C. FowLnR, front and rear seats a bed. This section a citizen of the United States of America, 1 is provided along each vertical end edge residing at Birmingham, in the county of with a metallic brace plate 5 and it has at- 5 Jefferson and State of Alabama, have intached at the lower end of this plate a vented certain new and useful lmprovehinge plate 6 having formed therein an ments in Convertible Vehicle Bodies, of angled groove 7 which at its upper or closed which the following is a specification. end is slightly tapered. The opposing edge My invention relates to an improvement of each of the rigid back sections 3 is likein vehicle bodies, and particularly bodies of wise provided with a brace plate 5 which, 65 automobiles which are convertible by foldat its lower end, has rigidly mounted thereing back the front seat or a portion thereof on a hinge pin 8 which is adapted to be reto form a bed. ceived freely into the open end of its re- One feature of my invention relates to spective slot 7 but to bear against the the manner of supporting the hinged back tapered walls of the slot before coming into 70 section in its lowered position by pivoted contact with the upper end of the slot. links which fold into concealed position To the upper end of each of a pair of when the back section is in raised position. plates 5 I hinge a pair of links 9 of equal Another feature of my invention relength which are pivotally connected at lates to the character of the latch means for their free ends by a pin 10 and which are 70 securing the back section in raised position, adapted to assume position in alignment so this consisting of plunger rods housed in as to support the lowered back section 4!; the robe rail on the hinged seat back and at each end from the rigid back sections adapted to engage in taper sockets. When section 4: is lowered to horlzontal pos1- My invention further comprises the novel tion it stands level with the seats 1 and 2 80 details of construction and arrangements of and serves therewith to form a bed. parts, which are hereinafter more particu- The section 4: is provided with a tubular larly described and pointed out in the aprobe rail 11 mounted in the usual supportpended claims, reference being had to the ing brackets 12 and provided near its center accompanying drawings which form a part with slots 13 through each of which projects of this specification, and in which a handle 15 for operating a plunger rod Fig. 1 is a plan view of an automobile which is slidable in the tubular robe rail. body partly broken away and showing in A coil spring 16 is interposed between and dotted lines the folded down position of seats against the inner ends of the plungers the back bed section. 15 and tends to force their outer tapered Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view latch ends 17 outwardly so as to engage in taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing slightly tapered sockets 18 mounted in the back bed section in dotted lines in its brackets 19 secured on the rigid back seclowered position. tions 16 adjacent to the brackets 12. By 40 Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of grasping the handles 1 1 and drawing them the robe rail and latch keeper, the robe rail together against the action of spring 16 being partly broken away to show a latch both plungers can be withdrawn so as to clear rod. the sockets 17 and release the back section 4L Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of so that it can be swung down on its hinges. 5 the bottom hinge taken on the line 44 of The back section 4 along each side edge Fig. 5; and is provided with an offset flange 20 which Fig. 5 is a horizontal view taken on the overlaps the adjacent edge of the rigid back line 5-5 of Fig. 2. section 3 and covers the spaces in which the Similar reference numerals refer to simipairs of links 9 work so as to conceal the 50 lar parts throughout the drawings. joints and give a more finished appearance 10 I show an automobile body, which is to the back. typical of any vehicle body, having a front In operation, the tapered latch plungers seat 1, a rear seat 2, and a back for the will afford a tight antirattling holder for front seat comprising two rigid end secthe movable back section and in like man- 55 tions 3 and an intermediate section 4 which ner the tapered hinge slot 7 will permit the back section to rock freely about the pins 8 but without rattling thereon. When the back 4 is folded down, pairs of links 9 support it firmly and securely, while the angle in the slot 7 is so disposed that a rearward movement of the back section 4: will not disengage its slot from the pins without at the same time lifting the hinged end of the back section at and obviously this will not occur while the weight of a person is on the bed.

The slots 7 however permit the back section 4 to be lifted freely off of the pins 8 and to be swung upwardly or even over the front seat 1 so as to give convenient access to all parts for inspection and repair.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1. A vehicle body having a seat with a back comprising two rigid end sections and a hinged rearwardly folding intermediate section, a tubular robe rail on the back of said folding section, latch keepers on said end sections, and latches concealed in the robe rail and projecting from the ends thereof to engage said keepers.

2. A vehicle body in accordance with claim 1, in which the robe rail is hollow and the latches are rods slidable in the rail and having tapered outer ends and disposed to engage in tapered sockets in the keeper, there being an interposed spring in the robe rail between the latch rods tending to press them outwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

\VILLIAM C. FOWLER.

lVitness Noam WVELsH, 

